What Goes Around Comes Around
by LiarEpicteller
Summary: Tess and Nick are about to marry but Liz has some other plans.. Also discover about Liz's part..
1. part 1

**I've been planning to write a fiction about Liz Ryan for a while. And yeah, finally I have started that. Actually I am not alone, I have a wonderful co-writer (or I can call her "my editor"!!). She is Genevive "genevra".. Thank you so much Gen, I am nothing without you..**

**Oh and please let us know what you think about the story. We are doing our best to continue it..**

**I dont own any of the characters.**

**NOTE: _Italic_ parts are for Liz's flashbacks !!!**

Part 1

"The foods delicious Tess, darling," Liz smiled at the pretty blonde.

"Thanks, Liz," Tess smiled back. She stood up and straightened her top. "Ah, I'd better go get dessert."

"I'll help you, Tess," Nick offered.

"Okay, thanks," Tess replied.

Tess and Nick left Liz and Harry in dining room and headed the little kitchen of Wilgul homestead to fetch the desserts, which were quickly eaten up by the four

"I would love to have the recipes if you don't mind, Tess," Liz asked, after she had finished her dessert.

"Sure," Tess replied. "Do you have a pen and paper? Oh forget it, I'll just tell you then..."

"_How could even think you're right for my son?" Maude whispered, furiously._

"_I love him and he loves me. Why are you trying to stop us? I just want everything to be right for Harry," Liz had cried back._

"_Oh you ignorant, poor, little girl," Maude muttered exasperated. " Do you want him to be happy?"_

"_Yes. Of course I do."_

"_Then just leave! Believe me, if you aren't here, Harry will be much happier."_

"_No," Liz yelled. "No, I will not leave!"_

"_Sooner or later, young girl, I will find a way to make you leave. I will find a way to save my son from you. I know you're type too well..."_

"Liz? Liz? What are you thinking about," Harry asked as he watched the expression on his wife's face.

"Hmm?" she replied distracted before snapping out of her reverie. "Oh nothing, dear. Nothing..."

((In the kitchen))

"Are you happy?" Nick asked, as the two cleaned up.

"Yes," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"I mean, are you happy to be here...With me and my family?" he asked again.

"Nick! This is what I've always dreamed of!" she replied, a smile growing on her face.

"Really?" he asked, a smile growing on his face too.

"Yeah, really!"

"I love you," he whispered, leaning over kiss her.

"I love you, too," she replied. "But right now, you better take this tray to dining room."

"Fine, but you have to let me do that again later," he whispered.

"Go!" she laughed, as he left carrying a tray of tea and coffee.

((A while later))

"I enjoyed that so much. Nick, Tess thank you for a beautiful night," Harry said as he and Liz were leaving.

"You're welcome Harry," Tess smiled.

"Yeah, anytime, Dad," Nick continued.

"We'd best leave now," Liz said. "We have a very busy day tomorrow."

"Yes, Liz, in a moment. Nick, could you come with me for a minute please? I want to talk to you in private," he laughs when he sees the expression on Tess's face. "Don't worry Tess, its just about business!"

"Oh, that's fine," she replied.

"You two take your time then! So, I can actually write the recipe down this time."

"Just let me find some paper," Tess said, scrounging about.

"No. I don't care about the recipes actually," Liz said, nervously.

"Oh. Are you sure?"

"No! I mean, yes, I'm sure I don't want them."

"So why did you..."

"Listen, Tess. I don't think that you're the right girl for Nick," she started, softly.

"What?" Tess whispered, nearly inaudibly and then yelled. "WHAT?"

"You heard me! You don't belong here Tess. You should go back to the city and live your own life there without interfering in my son's life," she explained.

"But..." Tess muttered as she stood in shock. "I don't think I should listen to you. I don't think you're right, Liz."

"You will listen to me, Tess and you will go away," she said, in a voice as cold as ice.

"No," Tess cried out.

"I promise you Tess, I will find a way..." she started but was interrupted by Harry and Nick's reappearance.

"Okay ladies! If you're done, Liz, I think we should go," he said, coming to stand next to his wife.

"Alright! Tess darling, thank you for that great supper and for those delicious recipes! Call me okay? I'll see you later," Liz said, cheerfully.

"Uhh, yeah," Tess muttered, distressed and schocked.

"Goodnight, Tess, Nick," Harry said.

"Night, Dad," Nick replied.

"Goodnight, Harry. Thanks for coming," Tess smiled somehow managing to find a voice and a smile.

"Goodnight," Liz said with a wave.

Nick and Tess stood in silence after Liz and Harry had left.

"Tess?" Nick asked, after awhile.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"Are you alright?"

"Sure. I... I think I'd better go back to Drovers, Nick," she said.

"Why? Tess, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Nick, it's nothing," she shot back.

"Come on, tell me!" he pleaded.

"Please, Nick. Just don't ask. Goodnight," she said, placing a kiss on his cheek.

"But Tess... TESS!" he yelled, but still she left.


	2. part 2

Part 2

((Later that night))

"Alex, wake up!! Alex!!" Claire called, shaking the male.

"What?" he replied sleepily.

"There's someone downstairs!" she exclaimed, jumping out of bed and pulling on a ratty dressing gown.

Claire and Alex came across Tess in the corridor, who was just about to make her way downstairs.

"What's happening?" she asked. "It's three o'clock in the morning!"

"If you hadn't noticed, there's someone downstairs," Alex deadpanned.

"Who do you think it is? A thief?" Tess asked, still half-asleep.

"Don't know yet. I'll go and see," Alex said, re-entering the bedroom and re-appearing with a cricket bat.

"Just be careful, Alex," Claire muttered, placing a hand on his arm as he started to walk down the stairs. She followed him, and linked a hand with Tess.

"You know, I never thought you two would be the type of people who would get scared at having someone in your house. You're usually so brave," Alex whispered, pausing on the third last step.

"It's just a show for you, so you can be brave," Tess shot back, rolling her eyes.

Alex made his way down the last few steps and lifted his bat up as he spotted a dark, lurking figure. He motioned for the girls to go back upstairs and they unregretfully obeyed him. Tess retreated to her sister's bedroom, while Claire remained halfway down the stairs incase her man needed her.

"Holy crap, Alex!" Nick yelled, blocking his face with one hand and grabbing onto a chair with the other as Alex swung at him.

"Oh man! What are you doing here? You scared the girls!" Alex yelled.

"Just the girls? Huh, how about you?" Nick said with a small laugh.

"I am not scared Nick," he muttered.

"It's true, he was very brave," Claire yelled down.

"Tell me, what's going on?" Alex said, rolling his eyes at Claire's comments. She came up behind him and leant against his back.

"I'm sorry, I just... just..." he sighed. "I need to see Tess."

"Okay okay! Hey Tess! It's for you!!" he called up the stairs.

"Me?" she asked, descending.

"It's Nick," Claire explained. "Come here. I'm sure he won't hurt you, will you Nick?

"Nick! What are you doing here?" Tess asked, as she appeared on the bottom step.

"I just need to talk to you," he explained.

"We'll be upstairs. Come on Alex," Claire said, prodding Alex along. She gave Tess a supportive smile and squeezed her arm as she and Alex returned to the comfort of their bedroom.

"Can we sit and talk?" Nick asked.

"Yeah okay. Come on, to the kitchen. Want ice cream?" Tess said, leading him to the kitchen.

"No thanks. I'm good."

"Beer?" she asked, rummaging around the fridge.

"No, Tess! Forget the beer! Just look at me," Nick said, reaching towards her. He grabbed one of her friends and she sighed in frustration.

"What?"

"Yes! That's exactly the question! What? What's happening to you?" he asked.

"Nothings happening to me Nick," she shot back.

"Come on Tess, don't lie to me," he replied.

"Look, I'm not lying. I'm just a bit confused, okay?" she said, sinking to the table.

"Confused? About what?" he asked, joining her at the table.

"About... about everything, about us," she admitted eventually.

"What about us?"

"I... I just... Nick, I'm sorry but I am not sure if we are doing the right thing," she said, tearing up.

"There is nothing wrong here Tess! We love each other and we wanna get married. What's wrong with that?" he asked, in shock, his face paling.

"I don't know. Maybe these things are going to fast... and.. and maybe we aren't ready. or maybe. Ah! I don't know, Nick. I guess I just need some time."

"I don't understand. You were so happy before... I just don't get it..."

"I don't expect you to understand Nick, and I just can't explain it. Just go, Nick. Please."

Nick: Tess... I love you! I would do anything! Okay? Anything, I mean it! And you want me to go, so I am going now! Just because you want me to go! But actually I wanna stay with you and sort out the problem.. whatever it is..

"Nick, please!"

" Alright! Just let me know when you are ready to talk, okay? You know where I'll be," he gave in.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"I love you, Tess," Nick whispered. He waited for her reply and when it didn't come he asked her why she wouldn't tell him she loved him.

"Tell you what?" she asked, pretending to have not heard him.

"Why won't you tell me you love me too?"

"Just go, Nick," she whispered, tiredly.

Nick kept looking at her.

"What?" she asked, frustrated.

"You... you are just so beautiful... When I look at you, I don't know. I feel like I am the luckiest man on earth. And I just wanna be with you, want to be wherever you are. We can't leave it like this, Tess."

"We are not leaving it here, Nick. You're just giving me some time to think," she explained.

"Okay," he accepted it.

"Okay!"

"Can I-" he asked as he leant in to kiss her but she backed away.

"Okay," he said, admitting defeat. "How about you call me when you figure out what you want to do about... whatever it is," he said, throwing up his hands. "You know, Tess-"

"Just go," she pleaded and eventually he left, the dirt kicking up behind him. She stood and watched him going, and as his taillights disappeared into the darkness, away from her.

"I love you too Nick. And I would do anything for you," she murmured in tears. She pulled her arms tight around for herself and cried quietly for a few moments until she retired to her bedroom and cried herself to sleep.

It took a few days for Tess to sort things out. She was really upset about Liz's interferences and couldn't quite figure out why Liz had attacked her like that. She thought Liz liked her and she couldn't see why Liz was trying to send her away.

She decided to forget about her.

She would not give up because of that devil... She took the Ute and headed towards Wilgul. She remembered a previous conversation she'd had with Claire about Liz Ryan. Claire had told her to ignore her. That she was generally nice but could interfere a lot and when she did, it was best just to ignore her. Tess was set in her frame of mind. She would ignore Liz.

But Liz had other plans.

((Meanwhile at Wilgul))

"Mum! How could you do this? I don't need your help with my life," Nick exploded.

"But dear, you haven't seen Tess for ages. I thought maybe it was time to meet someone new. Just talk to her, I promise, you will like her," Liz smiled at her son.

"Who is she?" Nick asked, out of curiosity and to shut his mother up.

"Her name is Sarah Carter. She's a lovely girl, really She's waiting in the car," Liz replied.

"She's here?" he asked.

"Yes, dear. I bought her over, I didn't think you'd mind," she explained.

"Mum, I can't believe you! How could you? Tess and I, we didn't break up Mum. I'm still with Tess! She's just..."

"Missing?" she asked, innocently.

"No! She's just confused."

"Oh, honey. I am just asking you to meet Sarah. That's all! You'll like her."

"I don't want to like anyone but Tess, alright?" he retorted.

"Don't be mad, honey. I mean you will like her as a friend. At least talk to her, just for today. We can't tell her to go home now. Not when she's come all this way just to meet you," Liz said with a sympathetic tone.

"Okay, fine. But just for today and if you play any more tricks on me like this, I'll tell Dad."

"Thank you," she cooed, as she reigned triumphant. "I'm going to get her. And then I'll leave you alone. Good bye, darling," she said, swiping her mouth across his cheek.

"See you Mum," he said, sighing.

Tess came across with Liz at the driveway of Wilgul. She stopped the car to talk to her, trying to show respect, although she was still wary of her.

"What are you doing here, Tess?" Liz asked in shock.

"I am here to visit Nick," she explained the obvious.

"Don't disturb him," Liz ordered. "He's got company."

"Well, its alright," Tess said. "I wont stay long."

"Tess, don't go there. He's having a good time with his girlfriend,' she explained, raising an eyebrow.

"Girlfriend?" she asked, puzzled, shocked and ready to cry.

"Yes. Really, what were you thinking. Tess? He couldn't wait for you forever," Liz said, feigning sympathy.

"But I..." Tess stuttered.

"You were missing for so long and he has found someone new. She is just so much more suitable for him, more compatible. He is happy without you. Just leave it!"

"No," Tess said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I wont let you fool me."

"If you say so," she said. "How about you go and see it with your own eyes."

"Oh, I will," Tess said, getting out of the car and slamming the door behind her.

With that Tess walked towards the house. She walked to front door and paused as she watched Nick and a tall blonde talking, laughing and sitting close on the couch, looking very couple-y. There was a lull in the silence, which was quickly filled by the blonde's laughter as she trilled a toast to the 'gorgeous and handsome' Nick.

Tess's heart fell to the floor. Her eyes opened in shock and she took a step inside the house. She grabbed onto the open door behind and choked back a few sobs. She felt her heart breaking in two and for a moment, it felt like a bus had just hit her. She stared in shock for a few moments more until she couldn't take it anymore. She threw herself out of the house in tears.

Liz hadn't left, she was waiting there to see how upset Tess was.

"Now do you believe me?" she asked, obviously triumphantly, but Tess was too upset to notice.

"Yes," she replied, bitingly. "Thanks a bunch, Liz."

"Do you want me to tell Nick something? Maybe a message from you?"

"Yeah, tell him it's over!" Tess explained, jumping into the Ute. She slammed the door and left a giant skid-mark on the driveway as she sped away from Wilgul and towards Drovers Run.

Nick had heard the loud noise of the Ute from the inside of the house. He ran out and saw Liz still there.

"Who was that? Was Tess here?" he asked, recognizing the sound of the retreating car.

"Yes," Liz admitted.

"Oh, Mum!" he exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"She didn't want to talk to you dear," Liz explained.

"She didn't? Why?" he asked, his face paling in realization.

"I don't know.. She asked me to tell you that she had never wanted to see your face again and to tell you it was over," Liz said, pretending once again to be sympathetic.

"Over?" he whispered. "Over?"

"Yes honey... I am so sorry. I told she wasn't good enough for you. See, she left you without even an explanation."

"So, what? She just doesn't love me anymore? Is that it?" he half-stated, half asked out aloud, not to anyone in particular.

"I'll be she doesn't, honey," Liz said, seizing her son's moment of vulnerability and drawing upon it.

"And she obviously doesn't care about me. If she did, she would have come and seen me and talked to me face to face. She would have told me it was over, it's the only decent thing to do. She doesn't wanna see my face, huh?" he spat in anger and disappointment. "Fine! Then I don't wanna see her either!"

"Are you going to be okay, dear?" Liz asked, patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah," he said quietly and the louder exclaimed, "I better go back inside. Sarah is waiting for me."

And then he walked inside.

((On the way to Drover's Run))

So it was true. And now, how could life ever be the same? Tess thought as she sped home. How could she spend the rest of her life without the one person who made her happy while he was only a few kilometers away flaunting his new love? How could she go on?

Tess didn't know who to be more upset with. Liz for interfering in the first place and causing this entire thing or Nick for technically cheating on her.

Hadn't he told her he loved her? Didn't he mean it?

And she cried the whole way home.

"_He is with someone else," Liz sobbed._

"_How do you know that?" Marj asked, patting the young girl on the back. _

"_She told me!"_

"_Who told you?"_

"_Maude! Harry's mother! She told me that Harry didn't love me anymore and he was with someone else," she sobbed._

"_Did she tell who that girl was?" Marj asked in concern._

"_No, I didn't ask!"_

"_Did you ever thing that maybe Maude was lying! You should go and talk to Harry," Marj offered. She smelt interference from the young man's mother._

"_No. I'm sure he's with another girl."_

"_How?" Marj said in slight frustration._

"_Maude showed me their photos! They were looking so happy, Marj! He doesn't want me. He doesn't love me anymore," she cried._

" _Oh, honey. my poor sister... I am so sorry!" she comforted. "I'm sure you can get over it but, honey."_

"_Noo! I caaant!" she wailed. "I love him!"_

"_Look! I know exactly what you can do to forget Harry," Marj exclaimed, suddenly excited._

"_But I don't wanna forget him!"_

"_But you have to, right?" Marj replied, matter-of-factly._

"_Right," Liz sniffled._

"_I know a guy who wants to meet you Liz!"_

"_Ah... No!" Liz exclaimed._

"_Listen, he is very rich and so handsome. He is hot Liz! You should see him!" Marj shouted excitedly. "You're gonna love him!"_

_Liz's curiosity was sparked. Her sister always picked brilliant men and Liz usually always liked them. And there was no harm in just meeting him was there? It wasn't like Harry wanted her anyway._

"_Who is he?" she asked suspiciously._

"_His name is Bryce Redstaff. I will invite him over, okay?" she said standing up._

_There was silence from Liz._

"_Come on, Liz!" her sister prodded._

"_Oh, fine," she said finally giving in. she hit her sister on the arm and said, "He better be good looking..."_

"_Oh, he is. You're gonna love him."_


	3. part 3

Part 3

Tess walked to her bedroom door and stood to listen as Claire and Alex sat in the kitchen and talked.

"Where is Tess now?" Alex asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"In her room," Claire answered tiredly. She was worried about her sister.

"Did she say something?"

"Nope," Claire sighed.

"So we don't know what happened?"

"Yeah exactly, Alex. We don't know," Claire exclaimed.

"You should talk to her," Alex suggested. Claire had forgotten how much of a busybody he was.

"I know. But I can bet you anything she won't feel like talking right now," Claire replied trying to get him to shut up.

"She's coming!!" Alex whispered, listening to her footsteps as she walked down the stairs.

"Ok. Alex, don't say a word," Claire ordered.

Tess appeared at the kitchen door. Her eyes were bloodshot and her skin was pale. The dark circles under her eyes clouded her beauty and for a moment she looked like death. She saw the two and composed herself as best she could by tying her ratty hair up into a ponytail and pinching her cheeks to put some life back into her face.

"Hey," Claire tried, pretending, unsuccessfully, to act like nothing was wrong.

"Claire, can we talk for a minute?" Tess asked, putting on a fake smile.

"Sure," she answered, pointedly looking at Alex and urging him away with her eyes.

"Ok. So I will leave you two alone," he said. "Maybe I'll go check on Bom."

Claire waited until she heard Alex enter Bom's room before she continued.

"What's happening, Tess?" she asked, worriedly.

"Claire, I am going back to the city for a while," Tess said in a voice that left no room for argument.

"WHAT?" Claire shouted.

"You heard me! I have talked to Simon and he said I was always welcome there. I need some space, I can't breathe here!!" she explained in the same tone.

"But why?" Claire asked, still in shock.

"Claire, please don't ask why," Tess pleaded.

"I don't understand. I thought you would forget about that bitch!"

"Its not that bitch, Claire. Its Nick," Tess admitted, blinking back a tear. Once she'd managed that, it was easy to hide her true emotions.

"Tell me!" Claire demanded, grabbing her sister's hand.

"I have to pack my bags now," Tess muttered, shaking her sisters hand and pleading face away.

She headed upstairs without any word.

Claire went upstairs to found Alex and when she did she led him outside, closer to the stable and away from Tess's room.

"She's leaving," Claire said with no emotion, the single tear that threatened to fall betraying her.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, nearly falling over from the shock.

"She's in there packing her bags now. She's going back to the city."

"Oh it must be serious then, whatever it is," he said, placing a supportive hand on Claire's back.

"Yeah. She said the problem was Nick. Maybe you should go and talk to him," she suggested, leaning her head against his shoulder. She looked up at him and blinked.

"Should I?" he asked.

She pushed herself away from him and closer to the door.

"She's leaving Alex! Of course you should, you bloody idiot!" she yelled.

"Ok ok, I'm on my way," he said, throwing his arms up in defense. "Gee, she tells you not to get involved and then suddenly she's angry at you for NOT getting involved in it."

Claire sighed at her husbands antics despite the situation and watched as he strode towards his ute and sped off. She moved towards the house again and decided to go to Tess's room.

"I think I deserve to hear an explanation about what's happening between you and Nick," she said, leaning casually against the door.

"There's nothing between us anymore, Claire. Its over," Tess said, throwing clothes into her bag haphazardly. She paused and looked up at her sister. "And I'm glad its over!"

"You are?" Claire asked in shocked as she made her way to sit on Tess's bed.

"Yeah," Tess said slowly. She started to pack again. "Believe me, I'm glad. I'm absolutely glad."

"Tess!" Claire cried.

"What?" Tess cried back exasperated as she wiped a desperate tear from her face. She turned to face away from her sister.

"Look at me," Claire said softly. She waited for her sister to obey and when she didn't she yelled again. "Look at me, Tess!"

Tess turned to Claire and let her see the hot, desperate tears rolling down on her cheeks.

"Oh, Tess," she whispered. "Come here. I'm here now. I'm listening."

((meanwhile at Wilgul))

"She left me without and explanation Alex! I don't know what happened either! She said she needed some time and I gave her some time. But then she came here and left a message for me. Said she didn't want to see my face, Alex! The message just said, 'Its over' It's bullshit!" Nick ranted, barely taking a breath or a break. "I told her I loved her, that night at Drovers, and she didn't reply. I should have known then, she never even loved me! if she wants to leave, then just let her leave. Why should I care?"

"Oh man, She's a bitch, Nick. And I always thought she was the reasonable McLeod," he muttered, patting his brother on the back.

((Drovers Run))

"Okay," Tess started, sitting on the bed next to her sister. "I went to see him this morning, as you know."

"Yeah?" Claire prodded gently.

"Then I went inside of the house and saw him... I won't make the story much longer than it is, no use sugar-coating anything is there?" she asked, procrastinating, as if telling someone made it realer. She paused and then saw Claire's gentle, loving and understanding face and she sighed. "The upshot is, he was with somebody else! A blonde. A blonde who's prettier and taller than me."

"How tall?" Claire asked, considering it.

"THATS NOT THE POINT CLAIRE!" Tess exploded.

"Sorry!" Claire explained, a small smile on her face.

"He's happy with her, so I have to go away. I thought he loved me. I mean he said that he loved me. He said he'd wait for as long as I needed, he would do anything for me. LIAR! He didn't even love me!" she exclaimed, laying a head on her pillow.

"Bastard," Claire said shaking her head.

She continued packing her bag as Claire watched and muttered different punishments they could do to him, excuses for why she shouldnt leave but Tess was adamant.

"Ok, I'm done," she said, pulling the zipper of her warn suitcase shut. "Ready to go."

"Are you sure you really wanna go?" Claire asked futilely.

"Yes, I need to go," Tess said softly, glancing at her sister fondly.

"I'll miss you," Claire said standing up to meet her.

"Oh so will I," Tess said, walking around to her side of the bed. "But please, Claire, try to understand."

"I'm trying," Claire said as the tears welled up.

"Thank you," Tess said as her own eyes filled with tears again.

"I love you, Tess," Claire said pulling her into a hug.

"I love you too, Claire," Tess said, attempting a smile.

The two held each other in a teary embrace.

"Please, don't watch me go, Claire. Please," Tess begged. "I can't do it with you watching."

"Then don't go!" Claire tried one last time, even though she knew it was pointless.

"I have to, Claire," Tess said. She gave Claire one last hard squeeze and then she let go. She picked her suitcase up and took a step towards the door. "Goodbye"

"Goodbye," Claire said.

She watched Tess's form walk out the bedroom door and towards the stairs.

"Tess, wait!" she called, running out to her. Tess paused and listened to her sister talk. "You are the best sister I could have asked for, Tess. Come back, you hear me, because I cant survive without you now I've found you again."

"I promise I'll come back," Tess said.

"Call me when you get there, ok? Stay safe."

"Take care, Claire. Take care of Bom for me."

Claire watched as Tess ran down the stairs as fast as she could. She heard Tess slam her car door and listened as the engine started. Claire ran to her own bedroom window and watched as the dust flew up behind Tess's car.

"Please be safe, Tess," she whispered as she fell listlessly onto her bed.

((after Tess left))

Alex drove back to Drovers soon after Tess left. He found Claire sitting on her bed wearing her dressing gown.

"Where's Tess?" he asked, entering the room and ignoring Claire's state.

"She's gone," Claire whispered.

"Oh good," he said. "She's just playing a game."

"What do you mean?" Claire cried, standing up.

"I bet she got bored to be here and was just looking for a reason to go back to the city," he said matter-of-factly.

"She could go back to the city anytime she wanted to, Alex. She is suffering, thanks to your stupid brother!" Claire shouted.

"The "stupid" one is your sister, Claire. This isn't Nick's fault," he explained.

"I think you're mistaken, Alex," she said, emphasizing his name. "It is your brother's fault."

"Bullshit!" he exclaimed. "She is the one who left without a reason, so how can you blame Nick for it?"

"Without a reason? Are you listening to a word you're saying?"

"Yes, I am."

"Nick was cheating on her!" Claire shouted.

"What? Who told you that?" Alex exclaimed in shock.

"Tess!" she exclaimed, with the obvious answer.

"She must be dreaming," Alex said in disbelief.

"Nick told her he was with someone else," Claire said, justifying it.

"But... Nick said... Umm. The thing is, Nick said that Tess just left a message saying it was over," Alex muttered.

"A message? What message? Tess said nothing about any messages," Claire said, replaying it all over in her head.

"I don't know what message. That's just what Nick told me."

"Didn't Nick tell you that he was with a blonde when Tess went to visit him today?" Claire asked, sitting down again.

"No," Alex said slowly as he joined her on the bed.

"And Tess didn't tell me about the message..."

"There's something wrong here," Alex said quietly.

"Yeah, I think they forgot something when they were telling us the story," Claire said finally. "I just don't understand..."

_Bryce and Liz were hanging around in town. She was really surprised at how she and Bryce got on. She was expecting him to be another typical farm boy. They were having a really good time joking and laughing until Liz spotted Harry close by in the window of a shop._

"_Oh my god!" Liz exclaimed as she stood staring._

"_What?" Bryce asked, coming to stand next to her._

" _Harry's here!" she said."_

"_Who's Harry?" he asked, confused._

"_My ex," she explained. "It's a long story..."_

"_We should get out of here," Bryce suggested._

"_Yeah that'd be good," Liz agreed._

"_LIZ?" Harry asked, spotting her. He walked over to where she and Bryce were standing, frozen in their spot._

"_Shit," she muttered under her breath. She composed herself and then chirped, "Harry!"_

"_Who is this?" he demanded, looking at Bryce._

"_None of your business, Harry," she trilled._

"_I will show you my business," he said stepping closer. "Now, tell me. Who is this?"_

"_He is Bryce Redstaff, my boyfriend," she explained._

"_Your what?" he asked, obviously surprised._

"_Boyfriend."_

"_But when did we break up, Liz?"_

"_When you decided to start seeing another girl, Harry," she said as if it were obvious._

"_Another girl?" he asked. "Who?"_

"_I don't know," she admitted. "Just a girl."_

" _Bullshit. You are my girlfriend Liz, and I don't want you to be out with this bloke!" he shouted._

"_You cant tell me what to do Harry!" she yelled back, pushing him away._

"_Do what I say!"_

"_Don't you hear her? She wants me, not you. Now buzz off!" Bryce yelled, stepping in._

_Harry lunged for Bryce, ready to attack but Liz stepped in the way of the two angry men._

"_Stop it, stop it you fools!" she cried._

"_Okay," Harry said, stepping away. He turned to her and started to talk. " You know what Liz, I just don't care. Do whatever you want. I am leaving. But one day you will beg me to be with me again and I will I refuse you. Just you wait and see."_

_He spat on the ground, turned and skulked away, leaving Liz standing, very confused with Bryce. She smiled calmly at him and touched a cheek to see if he was ok. He flinched. She took her hand away, unsure of what to do. She turned back to find Harry but he was gone. He had disappeared into the night and with it, he took her heart._


	4. part 4

_**Thank you for the feedbacks everyone... Hope you like this part too.. Any comment would be great...**_

**__**

_Italic_ parts are for the flashbacks or the parts which belong the past..

Part 4

After calming his wife down, Alex headed towards Wilgul to talk to Nick and sort the misunderstanding out as best he could. He knew it wouldn't be easy but soon he'd know both sides and he's be able to help more. His brother and Tess deserved happiness more than a lot of people he knew and it made Alex angry to think his bother's mistake may have been Tess's reason for leaving her family and friends, her home.

He entered the house and pounded on the doorframe to make his presence known. He walked into the kitchen and Nick looked up.

"Hey, you're back!" he exclaimed, smiling until he saw the expression on Alex's face. He stood up to meet his brother.

"Yes. Because I need to hear the truth," Alex explained, stony faced.

"The truth? What truth?" Nick asked, perplexed.

"I want you to tell me the _whole_ story again Nick," Alex said, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"I told you the story Alex!" he exclaimed. He shook his head and then continued a little quieter. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Well, you have to talk. Tess told Claire all about your new girlfriend!" Alex exclaimed.

"My what?" Nick shouted, sitting back down at the table.

"Come on, Nick! Just tell me what's going on," Alex replied.

"Well now, I don't know," Nick admitted, quietly but still angrily. "I have no idea about what the bloody hell is going on!!"

"She told Claire you were with someone else."

"When? Today?" Nick said, as it all began to make sense.

"Yeah, jackass. Today," Alex said.

"Oh man! That was Sarah Carter, a new friend of mine. Mum brought her over here today," Nick explained, realizing where this was going.

"Mum, aye," Alex said. "I should have known that she was pulling a number on you. Interfering old bat."

He was angry but he loved his mother, any names he called her were affectionate. But it didn't change the fact that, although, on the exterior she was sweet and innocent, on the inside she could be as calculating and manipulative as everybody else.

"It's not about Mum, Alex! It was Tess's decision and her fault. She came here but didn't want to see me! She left a message-"

"Message, message, message!" Alex exclaimed, slamming his hand down on the table. How? Did she write a note or something for you?" He was really sick of it anymore..

"No, she told Mum," he said slowly. Then he realized, "OH MY GOD!"

"Yeah, oh my exactly," Alex said patting him on the sholder for support. "You see, I knew that."

"I have to see Tess!" Nick exclaimed jumping up. "I have to explain this to her." Now his face was full of regret.

"Well, you cant," Alex said, standing up and putting his hat on.

"What?" he asked. "Why not?"

"Cause, she's gone. She left, Nick, when she saw you and Sarah..."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"_Which photo did you show Liz?" an angry Harry yelled at his mother._

"_Photo? What photo? I didn't show her anything!" Maude exclaimed, putting on a front of piety and innocence._

"_Don't lie to me, Mother! I know you did. Now tell me who was I with in that photo?" he asked, not taking any of it. He held his mothers arm._

"_Let go my arm!! It hurts, I dont know what you are talking about!" Maude said calmly._

"_Mother! Marj told me! I know you did something. Now TELL ME!" he yelled so loudly that even Maude jumped._

"_She is lying!" Maude exclaimed, recovering quickly._

"_MOTHER!"_

"_Okay," she said finally giving in. She put a hand to her heart, acting scared. "It was the photo of you and Stephanie."_

"_Stephanie?" he asked incredulously. "Mother, why would you show someone a photo with me and Stephanie?"_

"_I wanted Liz to think that you were happy with someone else," she said, with no remorse._

"_But I am not happy without her! Plus, Stephanie is my cousin," he exclaimed._

"_Yes, I know that. But..."_

"_STOP IT MOTHER!! I hate you when you pull tricks on me like that and try to take over and ruin my life!" he screamed. "God what am I going to do now? Damn! I've lost her now. Thanks a lot, Mother."_

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"_You are what?" Liz said, her eyes widening in shock._

"_I'm so sorry Liz! I know I should have told you this in the very beginning," he tried to calm her down._

"_BRYCE, YOU'RE MARRIED!" she screamed._

"_Yes, It's just the unfortunate truth," he said._

"_Oh I can't believe this," she said, but she seemed distracted. This seemed to go further than him just being married._

"_Please forgive me Liz," he begged. "I love you so much. But I just can't leave my family. I can't disgrace them like that."_

"_Just go Bryce," she said, brushing it off. "I don't want to see you anymore."_

"_Ok. I understand," he said, a little sadly. "But at least you have learned that before starting to make plans about us, huh?"_

_It was little comfort to Liz to here him say that._

"_GO!" she screamed. "GO! GO! GO! JUST LEAVE!"_

_When Bryce was gone anymore,_

"_Oh yeah plans. I had plans, but not for you and me, but they were ruined," she muttered to herself. "But tell me now, what am I going to do with this baby, you bloody bastard!"_


	5. part 5

Part 5

Tess was cleaning up in front of the cafe when she saw a familiar face, smiling and looking at her with a pair of lovely eyes. She forgot everything for a second, but then it hit her. She remembered all the sorrow again.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, as he was still smiling at her.

"I'm here to talk to you Tess," he answered.

"I don't think that we have anything to talk, Nick!" she shot back and headed back inside the cafe to protect herself.

"Yes, we do have something to talk about!" he said, he stopped her by seizing her arm. He noticed her flinching not only at the harsh sound of his voice but at the threatening physical contact. He continued, releasing his grip slightly and talking softly. "At least I have something to tell you."

"I don't want to listen!" she cried, trying to set herself free. She really didn't want to listen. Because if she did and although everything was all right this time, she knew that he would hurt her again... and again... And she didn't think she could handle that.

"But you need to listen," he said, "Look, I don't know what you think happened exactly but I can tell you it isn't how it looked."

"You don't owe me an explanation, Nick. It's okay, just let me go!" she begged.

"No!" he shouted, "Stand still and listen!"

She turned around to look in his eyes as he stopped talking. They gazed at each other in silence for a while until he broke the silence and continued.

"She's just a friend," he explained quietly, looking away.

"Nick, I said it was alright," she said, trying to hide the disappointment in her eyes. "You don't have to lie to me about it."

"But I'm not lying, Tess" he said insistently, "Why wont you just listen to me, you fool? That's the truth!"

She knew he was getting angry but she didn't care.

"Don't make such a big fuss! Why are you shouting? I don't deserve that!" she said, her

voice rising as she too matched his angry shouts.

"Goddamn it! Listen to me!" he exploded. "She was just a friend, for God's sake!"

"Just a friend you're going to spend the rest of your life with," Tess shot back as angry tears filled her eyes.

"Just a friend, Tess. And I won't see her again. Ever. Why would I want too? Look what she caused!"

"She caused nothing, Nick! You caused this!" Tess exclaimed. Her eyes were full of tears and anger that threatened to spill over. But no! She wouldn't give in. She wouldn't let him win.

"Tess, you're not listening," he said, deadly quiet, a sure sign that he was giving in. "Man, you're unreasonable."

"Tell me why should I listen, huh?" Tess asked. Temporarily, she had forgotten the pain and she was now ready to fight this battle to the end.

"I'm trying to take you home, you Goddamn stubborn thing!" he shot back.

"I'm not coming back, Nick!" she said, determined. Her tone signaled that this conversation was over.

Nick took a few steps towards her, tried to take her hands, but he hesitated when he saw her eyes.

"I love you," he whispered, "Believe me, she was just a friend."

She looked his eyes deeply and knew that he was telling the truth. There was no need to continue this argument. There was no way she even could.

"But your mother told me that she was your new girlfriend" she explained, biting her lip and looking down at the ground.

"And that's why you left without talking to me, right?" Nick asked, with a small smile on his face.

"Yeah, I guess," she muttered, still looking down. "I mean, what would you have done?"

"But you would have talked to me if Mum wasn't there. What would have you told me then?" he asked, curious.

"Well," she started, pausing for a second, and then eventually letting go of the words. "I would have told you that I wanted you in my life forever. That I loved you so much and that I always had. And then I would have apologized for being so paranoid. You know-"

She was interrupted by his passionate kiss. At first she hesitated, but then decided to kiss him back, longingly and fervently.

"Tess, I want you back," Nick said, smiling at her when they stopped kissing.

"I want to be back too," she admitted. "But I don't know if I can come back with you just yet. It's just moving way too fast for me. Maybe, I should stay here for a little while longer..."

"No!" he objected. "I wont have it."

"No?" Tess asked, surprised. Her blue eyes had widened and Nick nearly laughed despite himself. She looked like a porcelain doll.

"That's right, 'no.' I won't let you stay here. I mean, I cant. I don't want this to happen again. I want to marry you, Tess, as soon as I possibly can. So, you're coming back with me," he ordered, looking so serious and determined she had to smile.

"Oh, wow!" she laughed to him. His face was serious back and she stopped laughing. For a second. "Okay. If it makes you happy."

"What? Doesn't it make you happy too?" he asked.

"Of course it does!" she exclaimed, starting to laugh happily again. "But first I have to pack my bags."

"So," he said. "Hurry up! I don't have, nor can I wait forever."

She looked up at him and she smiled.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he said. "Now, bags!"

She went to walk away but he pulled her back for one more kiss.

"Now you can go," he whispered into her hair.

"oOo"oOo"oOo"oOo"oOo"oOo"oOo"oOo"

"_Why didn't you come to me Liz?" Harry exclaimed._

"_I don't know" she admitted. "It seemed so real. It seemed there was no need to ask. I didn't think that your mother would lie to me. So I believed her."_

"_God! Yes, it may have seemed real but you didn't have to go and find someone new," he yelled. he was really angry now, he felt he could punch the woman and he had never set a hand on a woman in his life._

"_Actually, Marj found him for me. And I didn't want him at all. But it just happened, you know. These things do," Liz cried as she tried to hide her shaky hands._

"_What do you mean?" Harry asked, confused._

"_He was nobody, Harry," Liz explained._

"'_Was'? So you're not with him anymore?"_

"_No, I'm not. As I said Harry, he was nobody. I have always loved you. You believe me, don't you?" Liz asked, worried. "You have to believe me, Harry."_

"_Yeah," he said. "Yeah of course I believe you. And I'm sorry about my mother. If I had of known..."_

"_It's okay Harry. I've forgotten it already," Liz smiled. "So is everything alright now?"_

"_Yes, it is. If it's okay for you too," Harry smiled back._

"_So does this mean?" Liz asked, excitedly, leaving the last words blank for him to fill in._

"_It means that we're together again" Harry answered as he wrapped his arms around her._

"_I'm so sorry for every mean word that I've said to you Harry. I was-"_

"_Shh... It's okay. I'm sorry too. Don't worry about it anymore" he comforted her. "Come on, let's get going."_

"_Okay," Liz giggled softly._

_She stopped him just before they crossed the road._

"_So, does this mean you're my fiancé again?" she asked hopefully._

"_Yeah baby, I guess I am," he answered and then kissed her on the forehead. "I guess I am."_


	6. part 6

Part 6

"What?" Liz yelled to her son. "She's back?"

"Yeah, Mum. She is. Nick brought her back because he loves her. Do you know about a little something called _love_ mum?" Alex yelled back in a sarcastic voice.

"Of course I do," she shot back as she rose an eyebrow. "Stop talking like that, Alex."

"Well then, give them some peace," Alex demanded he got up, signaling the end of the conversation.

"But I just want what's best for him!" Alex heard Liz mutter as he was on his way to the door.

"Tess is what's best for him, Mum," he called, "To him, she is wonderful. And that's what's important right now. That she means everything to him."

He turned back around and continued on to the door, slamming it hard behind him.

Liz was left standing alone in the sunny kitchen with her thoughts and fears. She was really anxious about Tess. It turned out that she and Nick were a stronger couple than she thought. Not only that, she was worried about what Tess would tell Nick about his mother.

"_What if she tells Nick about what she heard?"_ she thought, _"I have to do something! I must get rid of her immediately. I must send her away for good."_

Instantly, she had an idea. She ran through the house and searched for a phone number. When she found it, she picked up the phone and dialed the number quickly as if from memory.

Her heart was beating as the phone rang. She hoped she was making the right choice. Her hand was clutched over her chest and she considered hanging the phone up but when the person on the other side answered, she sighed and gave in. It wasn't that terrible of an idea anyway.

o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"

_Liz and Harry were sitting in the garden when they saw Alex and a muddy girl coming towards them._

"_Mum, this is Tess" Alex said._

"_Tess! You must be Claire's sister," Liz said to the girl._

"_Yes I am. Hi," Tess smiled as she reached her dirty hand towards Liz's but a mortified Liz didn't response. Tess tried a different tactic. "I didn't know places like this was existed anymore. I feel like I should have used the servants entrance."_

"_I've been hearing a lot about you" Liz smiled, "But I was under the impression that you were only here for a short stay."_

"_It really depends on how long Claire and I can go without killing each other," Tess answered as she was smiling back. But she felt totally restless and uncomfortable with the strange lady._

"_Yeah, I can imagine that would be hard," Liz answered sarcastically, but Tess apparently paid no attention._

"_So where's this spa you've been telling me about, Alex?" Tess smiled again, ignoring Liz. It's not that she was ignoring her, she just didn't think that the comment deserved a reply._

"_Right this way, lovely lady," Alex said as he led her inside. _

_A while later, Liz had found an old and absurd dress for Tess and she knocked the bathroom door._

"_Just get a life already," Tess called from inside._

"_The one I have suits me just fine, Tess" Liz answered, perplexed._

_Tess opened the door and saw it wasn't Nick or Alex, instead she found a bewildered Liz._

"_I'm so sorry," she said, apologizing profusely. "I thought you were one of the boys again!"_

"_Oh, well, I understand," Liz said, politely laughing. She smiled and held out the atrocious dress to Tess. "I brought you something clean to put on. You can keep it if you like it."_

"_Oh, thank you. That's very kind of you," Tess replied. She grabbed the dress and shut the door quickly in Liz's face wanting to spend as little time with her as possible, particularly when she was only half-dressed._

_Liz went back to the lounge and found Alex carrying something outside._

"_Mum, how about dinner in the garden?" Alex asked, "The weather is perfect.!"_

"_Umm, okay," Liz replied, "I'll just go put something on, darling."_

_The phone began to ring._

"_Mum, could you please get that?" he asked, disappearing outside. _

_Liz walked towards the ringing phone and answered it just as she had ever since she and Harry had been married. _

"_Hello? Liz Ryan speaking," she trilled. _

_Tess was out of the bath. And after getting dressed she was walking around in the corridors. She stopped when she heard Liz's frightened voice._

"_What do you want from me? Liz asked._

_Tess listened to the silence. She took a step forward and shrugged her shoulders but was stopped when Liz began to talk. _

"_It was 32 years ago Ron! Don't you think I've paid enough?!" she whispered, her voice full of fear and disbelief. It was obvious that she didn't want anyone to hear her, but Tess was riveted to the spot. And besides, she didn't owe Liz anything. "No, I can't keep giving you money, Ron. I simply don't have enough. It's been 32 years, you must forget it now. POLICE? OH NO! Don't to the police, Ron, I'm begging. Please."_

_Tess listened to Liz as she pled for the mystery man not to go to the police. She heard a sharp sigh and then Liz continued softer._

"_Okay, how much do you want?" she asked, giving in. _

_Tess was completely hooked into the conversation by now. 'I wonder what's going on,' she thought to herself._

"_Okay," Liz said. "I will give the money. I said okay Ron. You can have the money. Just don't, don't go to the police. Please. I will call you when I'm ready, okay? Goodbye."_

_With that Liz hung up the phone and turned around to head into the kitchen. she froze when she saw Tess standing there looking at her questioningly._

"_Oh. Umm, Te-Tess," she stammered as she put one hand on her chest. "That was just an umm, a friend of mine and Harry's," she said as way of explanation and ignoring the skeptical look on Tess's face. _

"_Oh, umm. I see. I was just looking for the garden," she said, covering up her disbelief. "This place is so big, I just keep getting lost."_

"_Oh," Liz laughed nervously as she pointed to a big door. "I understand. Right, this way."_

"_Thanks," Tess smiled and disappeared quickly._

o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"

"Hello?" Liz said into the phone as someone answered. "Can I speak to Ron Mitchell? Oh, Ron. Hi. This is Liz Ryan," Liz said, as she made sure there was no one around her to listen. "I need you to do something for me. What? Yes, again. How much? That's a little hefty. No, no. It's ok, Ron, I'll give anything you want. I thought maybe you could somehow let that little brake trick happen again. Do you understand? Good, Ron. I knew you'd understand. Now, let me give you the details..."


	7. part 7

A week later, Alex was talking on the phone as he was sitting at Jack's old desk. He smiled as he heard Nick's voice from the other side of the phone.

"What happened this time?" he said automatically.

"Alex, can you please come over?" Nick said. It was obvious that something was wrong.

"Yeah, ok. I'm coming," Alex answered just before he hung up the phone and ran outside. When he couldn't see his Ute, he panicked.

"Where is my God damn car?" he shouted.

Tess ran out from the house, panicked, when she heard Alex's hysterical scream. He wasn't one to get worked up so easily.

"What's wrong Alex?" she asked.

"Where is my car?" he asked again. This was another cue that something was wrong. Alex rarely had a one-track mind. He was usually levelheaded.

"Umm, Claire took it. She went into town to do some shopping," Tess explained. She justified her sister's actions. "She said she wouldn't be long. I'm sure she'll be back soon."

"Oh, ok. So I'm taking the Ute," Alex said walking over to where it was normally parked. Tess called out before he could get any further.

"Ah, Alex. Jodi and Becky went to Fisher! But you can..."

"DAMN!" Alex shouted, and whirled around to face her. He tried one last option. "The Mercedes?"

"Meg," Tess answered, "But you can take my VW."

"Oh yeah, thanks," Alex called as he was running towards her orange and very feminine car. Another sign there was something seriously wrong. Tess tried again,

"Alex, what's wrong?" Tess she asked as she walked behind him.

"Nothing," he said, "Nothing's wrong. I'll be helping Nick over at Wilgul, okay?"

"Okay..." Tess answered, worried. "I'll let Claire know where you are."

"_You can trick Harry, but not me you fool!" Maude yelled._

"_Stop shouting at me! I can't take it anymore" Liz yelled back, cringing and covering her ears._

"_I don't care," Maude continued, her eyes were full of anger._

"_We got married in spite of you!" Liz said, "You don't mean anything to me anymore!" _

_She was really mad at Maude this time. She was fed up with her interferences She should learn to keep her business her own and stay out of other people's business. Or something terrible would happen to her. It was bound too, Liz thought._

"_I know everything, you poor pathetic girl" Maude muttered._

"_What are you talking about?" Liz asked, placing her hand on her 6-month old pregnant belly. "What do you mean by everything? What do you know that I don't?"_

"_Everything means everything," Maude replied, calmly and measuredly._

"_I don't understand" Liz said, puzzled._

"_I know Liz," Maude started talking, "I know about the baby! I know that it's not Harry's!"_

"_WHAT?" Liz shouted, in aghast and then continued quietly. She started shaking but she hoped Maude wouldn't notice. "I don't know what you're talking about. Of course it's Harry's."_

"_I said 'I know' Liz," Maude said, with a small triumphant laugh in her voice. "I'm going to tell Harry everything."_

_With that she swept out of the room in a cloud of expensive French perfume and silk scarves. Liz balked and finally gave in._

"_No, wait," she called running after her. She grabbed Maude's arm. "Wait!"_

"_What?" Maude asked as she turned around to face her._

"_Please don't tell Harry," Liz begged, "Please!"_

"_You can't change my mind Liz. He has a right to know. And if you don't, I will tell him in two days, when he comes back from the city" Maude replied and left the room._

"_You bloody bitch," Liz murmured. "But you're dealing with Liz Ryan. I know how to stop you!"_

Alex was singing the song, which was playing on the radio as he was driving towards Wilgul:

"My loneliness is killing me (and I)

I must confess, I still believe (still believe)

When I'm not with you I loose my mind

Give me a sign, hit me baby one more time..."

As the chorus moved on into the verse he realized exactly what he was singing.

"OH GOD! What am I singing?" he asked himself and looked down at the radio to change the station to a classier, more suitable station.

When he noticed the brumby standing on the road, it was too late to stop the car. He began turning the steering wheel quickly and swerved off the road in a cloud of dust and gravel. He tried to put the brake on but it wouldn't work. The car was going towards the trees at full speed. He tried the brake again and again, but it wouldn't work.

In what seemed to be slow motion, the car hit the trees and another cloud of dust blew up and filled the air with an acrid, gritty smell.

"_Did you solve the problem?" Liz whispered, looking at the man standing in front of her._

"_Yeah, no worries" he answered, "No one saw me! There's no problem."_

"_Good. So you're sure of she is not alive anymore" she asked even quieter, though it hardly seemed possible._

"_Yeah, trust me. She won't spoil your joy anymore," the man replied._

"_Oh thanks, Ron! I think you're prices are unreasonable but it was worth it," Liz answered as a friend walked past. She waved at them and continued the conversation as if she was talking about a casserole dish she had bought or something of the like. "But I want to know exactly how did you do this?"_

"_Oh, it was easy. I just undid the brake lining," he laughed in a scoffing manner._

"_But will anyone know what you did?" Liz asked, suddenly worried. "Won't they know someone tampered with the car?"_

"_No, don't worry," he said, the smile not leaving his face. "Trust me. I'm a pro."_

Claire was driving back from town and was babbling to Charlotte when she spotted a flash of yellow, a cloud of dust and the green of some trees. She slowed down to get a closer look. The blood rushed to her head as she saw Tess's car near the road. She felt her heart stop and she sat in the car shaking for a minute before she could even slow the car down. She swerved back around to the scene of the accident and crying, she stopped the car, got off and leaving Charlotte in the car she ran towards her sister's car.

"TESS!" she shouted, in a bloodcurdling scream that would have woken the dead. "TESS!"

oOoOoOoOoOo

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	8. Part 8

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Part 8

She tried to stop her shaking hands as she walked towards the demolished car under the trees. She kept telling herself that everything was alright, but she didnt believe what she was saying was true.

She walked slowly towards the car and then stopped. '_What if she is dead,'_ she thought to herself. Her eyes clouded and she thought she was going to break down and cry. She turned around and headed back towards her ute and then stopped and moved towards Tess's car again. '_You have to face this, Claire!'_ she thought, and took a few more steps. She froze when she realised it was Alex in the car.

"OH GOD!" was all she could say. She repeated the words over and over again as she stood clutching her hands to her chest.

She hesitated for a moment then finally found enough courage to approach the car. she stood near the door and noticed the red drops of blood that covered the cars interior. She knelt down and moved her shaky hand towards Alex's limp body, hesitating, but finally she could find his pulse.

"Thank you," she whispered as she felt his weak heart beats under her hand.

"Alex, Alex! Can you hear me?" she called, trying to wake him up but he would not stir.

'_God, what am I gonna do now?'_ she wondered. She was faced with a painful choice would she leave him and go find some help or would she stay here until someone eventually drove past and found her. '_What if he needs me when I'm not here? Or what if he dies because I don't leave him?' _She was at her wits' end.

Finally, she held his hand and looked at his blood-covered face.

"I'm sorry Alex but I have to leave you here for a while. I cant get you out of this car by myself," she said, explaining it as if he could hear her, and waited for a reply, but it didnt come. She stood up, shook her head to clear her mind, put on a brave face and headed towards her ute to go get help.

o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o

"_Maude!" Harry said. "That's a perfect name for your little girl, Claire."_

"_Oh yeah," Claire answered with a puzzled face. "That is nice. I'll think about it Harry, thank you."_

_After watching Harry ride off into the distance, Tess asked Claire what she thouht was a very important question._

"_Who the hell is Maude?" she asked as she burst out laughing._

"_Stop laughing, Tess. She was Harry's mother," Claire explained with a slightly somber face. She'd never been a major Maude fan after listening to the stories people had told about her but her death was still horrible. Anyone's death was._

"_Oh, what happened to her?" Tess asked again. She was still chuckling._

"_She died in a car accident so many years ago. When none of us was even born," Claire explained. _

"_An accident?" Tess asked, curiously. "How?"_

"_Well, I dont know. I think her car's brake rod was broken. And it didnt work when she wanted to stop the car. You know, sabotage. Something like that," Claire answered._

"_Brake rod?" Tess exclaimed, remembering Liz's phone call that she heard by chance in Kilarney._

"_Yeah," Claire nodded. Sometime she had no idea about Tess. "What's wrong with that?"_

"_Oh nothing," Tess replied, distractedly. "Nothing's wrong..."_

o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o"o

"Wilgul, Nick Ryan speaking," a male voice said, answering the phone.

"Nick!" Tess exclaimed in a worried tone.

"Oh, hey honey. I miss you. Are you coming home?" he asked, a huge grin appearing on his face as he heard Tess's sweet voice.

"Nick," she repeated, her voice was more serious.

"Tess?" Nick said, noticing that something was wrong. "What is it?"

"Nick, I'm at the hospital," she sighed.

"What happened?" he asked panicking. "Is... is there something wrong with the baby?"

"No, Nick. It's not the baby," she said softly."It's Alex."

"What?" he asked. "Tell me Tess, what happened to Alex?"

"He had an accident on the road. Claire found him. And..."

"How bad is he?" he whispered, as he rested his head against the cool white fridge, trying to gather his wits.

"I dont know Nick. We are still waiting for the doctor to finish with him and then we will find out how bad it is. But Nick," she said back.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Maybe you should come down here," she said as she barely managed to stop the tears from rolling down her face.

"Yeah, okay.. I'm coming" Nick said. He heard Tess's voice breaking as she whispered 'bye' and then hung up the phone as, he could only imagine, she finally broke down in sobs. Hearing her cry made him cry and before her could find his keys, he sat down at the kitchen table and cried.


	9. Part 9

Part 9

"Mum, Dad, " Nick said and then hesitated as he stepped in the large kitchen of Kilarney to face his mother and father who were sitting together sharing dinner. "I have to tell you something, but please stay calm."

"What is it, darling?" Liz asked innocently.

"Alex, mum!"

"What happened to him?" Harry asked, strangely as if he knew something was wrong.

"He had an accident. He is in the hospital now. But I talked to Tess, he is alright," he lied, trying not to make his parents more anxious.

"Oh god!" Liz shouted. "How did it happen?"

"I don't know. I think he was driving Tess's car," Nick kept talking but Liz didn't hear the rest of it because of the humming in her head. The room was turning around. Harry grabbed her before she collapsed on the floor.

"Nick and I are going to the hospital," Harry said, clutching her wrist to steady her. "You wait here."

"NO!" Liz shouted. "I am coming with you."

"But Liz..." Harry said as he tried to convince but Liz cut him off.

"No, Harry. I am coming and that is it."

((When they arrived to the hospital))

"Tell me, is he alright?" Nick shouted, running towards Tess who was trying to calm her sister down in the corridor.

"Nick, we are still waiting for news," she answered. "They dont tell us anything."

"Why is it taking god damn long?" he cried as he hit the wall.

"Nick!" Tess yelled, holding his arm, "Don't! Look what you did to yourself!"

She pulled out a hankie and placed it on Nick's bleeding hand.

"Why don't you tell us something? How long do we have to wait here?" Claire yelled to a passing doctor. Tess had left Claire alone for a moment to fix Nick and she turned to see her sister calling out to the retreating doctor's back. He looked back slowly and smiled sadly.

"Claire, please calm down," Tess said, tightening her grip on her shoulders.

"Somebody please tell me something. Anything. Tell me he is dead, I don't care! But tell something. I can't breathe in here," Claire gasped as she cried.

"Get a grip, Claire," Tess said, trying to snap her back.

"God, I can't go on like this," she gasped, slowly gulping back the tears.

Nick and Tess both tried to sit her down and finally they succeeded, as Harry and Liz looked on in shock. But when Claire saw the doctor coming from Alex's room, she rushed to him again.

"Is he alive?" she asked, hysterically.

"Yes Mrs. Ryan, your husband is alive," the elderly doctor answered gently.

"Thank god," Claire muttered to herself.

"Can we see him?" Harry asked this time.

"I'm afraid you cant," the doctor said and turned to him. "He is in Intensive Care now and is in a critical but stable condition. That means he's in a good condition but it could go either way so we have to wait for a while to see if everything works out for the better."

"What do you mean?" Liz asked, anxiously, between her sobs.

"I mean he might not make it. It's still a little risky," doctor explained. "But we are doing everything we can."

"God," Nick cried out.

"You should go home and have some rest, Mrs. Ryan," the doctor told Claire.

"No way," she shot back. "I want to be here for my husband."

"There is no need to stay here" he replied.

"He is right, Claire," Tess said, agreeing with the doctor.

"Come on," Nick grabbed Claire's arm, "I'll drive you home. Doctor Robert's will call us if anything happens."

"Okay," Claire said giving in at last.

"Wait!" Doctor Robert's called after them. "Sorry I forgot to ask. Does anyone have O negative blood?"

"Why?" Claire asked, puzzled.

"We need some for Alex," he said. He looked at Claire's worried face and smiled kindly at her. "It's just precautionary."

"Mine is AB positive," Nick said. He turned to his parents. "How about you?"

"A positive," Harry answered. "And Liz has O positive blood."

"What?" the doctor asked. "Aren't you Alex's father, Mr Ryan?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Well, are you sure your blood type is A positive?"

"Of course I am", Harry replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Me!" they finally heard Tess yelling further down the corridor. "I have O negative blood."

"Great, Ms McLeod. Please go with the nurse, she will tell you what to do," Doctor Robert's smiled.

"Yeah, okay," Tess said, and turned to face Claire. "Wait here for me, okay? And be good."

She gave her sister a supportive squeeze on the arm and left.

"Mr Ryan, can you please come to my office? I need to talk to you for a moment," the doctor said to Harry. All polite pretenses were gone now and he was deadly serious. He had a look on his face that said business.

"Ok," Harry replied, as walked with the doctor to his office. "I'm right behind you."

Liz panicked as she realized what that all 'blood thing' was about. She began shaking and decided she needed to leave.

"No, no, no!" she cried madly as she ran down the corridor. Nick could hear her sobs and was confused.

"Mum!" Nick called out to her, but she was already gone.


	10. Part 10

"Mr. Ryan. You don't understand. What I'm trying to say that an A positive man and an 0 positive woman cannot have a child whose blood type is 0 negative," the doctor explained, not knowing what would happen next. Harry was visibly upset.

"So he's not my son, is he?" he asked with empty eyes.

"I'm so sorry for saying this, but no Mr. Ryan. Alex can not be your son." doctor said sadly, looking down at the floor.

"Thank you," Harry whispered, feeling totally betrayed. To live his life as such a lie was a big blow to him. He didn't know what to feel.

When he walked towards the corridor, he saw nobody was waiting for him. He actually felt really alone. When he realized everyone truly had left, he squatted down on his heels, and began crying quietly… crying for Alex and crying for himself… for not knowing the truth all those years… for his dreams and his land's future.

A few minutes later, just before he let out an angry, betrayed and devastated sob, a pretty young nurse walked by.

"Mr. Ryan?" she asked, smiling.

"Yeah?" Harry stood up.

"Alex is awake now. Would you like to go in and see him?"

It was one of the hardest questions he'd ever been asked. He wasn't sure what he wanted. He took one step forward, and then stopped, hesitating.

"No," he muttered. "No... Sorry…"

And with that, he turned around and left the hospital regretfully. He wanted to see Alex but he couldn't trust himself not to tell Alex what was wrong.

Meanwhile Nick, Tess and Claire were still on their way back home. Claire had calmed down and Tess, tired from her loss of blood, stroked her sister's hair, in an attempt to keep her that way.

"Everything's going to be alright, Claire," she whispered. Claire just nodded her head.

Then they heard Nick's mobile phone ringing. He pulled it out of it's holder and answered quickly.

"Hello?" He listened to the other side for a few seconds and suddenly stopped the car. Claire and Tess looked up at him, suddenly worried.

"Yeah, okay. We're coming back. Thank you," Nick said. He hung up the phone and turned to face the girls.

"He's awake!" he said with a huge grin on his face.

oOo

Claire walked towards the room, placed her hand against the door and pushed it to open. She saw him lying there, looking at her and smiling.

"Hey," he murmured quietly. She could tell he was tired but she was happy to see him..

"Hey yourself!" Claire replied, sitting on the bed near him, taking his left hand in her own. "You scared me so much."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to," he smiled back.

"How do you feel now? Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah I guess. Cant feel my feet, have a really sharp pain on my back and a buzzing in the head, but yeah, I'm aright. I wasn't feeling so good but you're here now," he placed his hand on her cheek and wiped the tears away. "Don't cry."

"I'm not crying," she denied it, in her typical Claire way. "I just… just… Oh Alex! I love you so much. And I thought I was going to lose you."

She burst into tears and buried her face in her hand. He pulled her hands away and carefully leaned over and kissed her.

"I'm not leaving you Claire, not in next hundred years at least," he said trying to laugh, but another stab of pain shot through his back and he groaned instead.

"What?" she said, trying to look serious. "What happens after hundred years?"

"Well," he smiled back. "I guess I'll have to think about it."

Then suddenly he put on a worried face.

"Claire?" he started, "Do you have any idea about why my father didn't want to see me?"

"He didn't?" Claire asked, surprised.

"He was here, I mean waiting outside, and then the nurse asked him if he wanted to see me, but he said no," Alex explained.

"That's weird," Claire replied, remembering the conversation between the doctor and Harry about blood types. She was suspecting their subsequent conversation had bought up some bad news, but she decided not to tell Alex about it, at least for now.

"Hey," Nick and Tess called softly as they walked into the dimly lit hospital room.

"Was it enough time for you guys? We couldn't wait outside anymore," Tess said with a smile. She walked over and leant down to kiss Alex on the cheek. "Alex, I'm so glad you're alright."

"Thank you, Tess. It's good to see you," he replied.

"Man, don't you ever do that again," Nick yelled as he held his brother's hand.

"Nick, don't be so emotional," Alex smiled at his little brother.

Nick gratefully returned the smile.

"Where are Mum and Dad?" Alex asked, showing he knew something was wrong.

"Don't know," Nick replied. "They were here before, but Mum ran out and then we saw Dad on the road driving back to Wylgul. Maybe they just needed some composure time before they saw you."

Meanwhile Harry ran around the house, crazed while looking for Liz.

"Liz!" he shouted. His eyes were full of rage, anger and disappointment. When there was no reply he shouted again. "Liz!"

"What?" she replied from the lounge. Harry stopped as he saw her. Their eyes met and the look in his eyes let Liz know he knew, and made her grip the arm of the lounge chair she was sitting in for strength. She didn't want to stick around to see what would happen next.

"He is not my son, is he?" he asked with sorrow, not really wanting to hear the answer. He knew it, in his heart, that Alex was not his boy but he didn't want to hear the words spoken out loud. It would make it a little to real.

"What?" Liz asked, taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

"You obviously know what I am talking about Liz, so don't deny it!" he raged, his arms flying around him. "Why didn't you tell me Liz?"

"Harry, I'm sorry," she began crying. "I'm so sorry!"

"IT'S TOO LATE TO BE SORRY LIZ! 30 YEARS! OH MY GOD," he exploded. "How could you?"

"I just couldn't tell you Harry. I just couldn't," she sobbed over and over again, not daring to look him in the eye. She was afraid of the retribution, the anger and the disappointment she would see.

"It's that guy, isn't it? What was his name?" Harry asked, looking calmer. In a way, he'd bought it upon himself.

"Bryce," she replied, "Bryce Redstaff."

"Yeah, I should have known that. But you know what Liz, I JUST DONT CARE!" he shouted again as he turned and began to walk out the door.

"Where are you going?" Liz asked, hesitantly.

"To the hospital, of course," he replied. When he saw the expression on her face, he needed to continue. "He's my son no matter what. I'm not leaving him when he needs me most. But I don't want to see you here when I come back, Liz. I mean it. GO! GET OUT!"

And then he turned on his foot and stormed out the door, leaving Liz to shake and cry as she sat on her lounge.


	11. The Last part

* * *

It had been a couple of days since they first saw Alex after the accident. He was better now and would be discharged in a couple of days. Nick and Tess had left Claire at the hospital and driven to what Nick quipped as there _'Home, sweet home, ' _Wilgul. They were sitting together on the veranda when they noticed Harry's Ute approaching. He parked the car and got out and started to walk towards the happy couple with some papers on his hand. He seemed to them really tired and sad He handed the paper to Nick, his hands shaking, as one little tear rolled down on his tanned and weathered face. 

"What is it, Dad?" Nick asked with a worried expression.

"Just read it," Harry replied gruffly, in his usual manner.

Nick took a quick look at the paper and then glancing at Tess who was looking at him with a confused expression. He smiled as Tess reached out and brushed a hand across the back of his neck as he began to tackle the letter.

_To my dearest family,_

_I'm writing this letter to apologise to you all. You are my precious ones, and I want you to know that everything that I am about to say is coming from the bottom of my heart. Just knowing that I've caused you so much pain leaves me feeling worse than I have ever felt in my entire life._

_I know that it will be very difficult for you to accept my apology after reading this letter, but please, can you just try?_

_I've made so many mistakes in my life. When you make one mistake, you have to make more to fix the first one. And one thing leads to another… So, over the course of time, you end up making many mistakes. Yes, I have made heaps of mistakes, all of them were devilish! But please believe me, I didn't mean to make any of them and I certainly didn't mean to cause the pain I did when I made them._

_First of all, Harry, my dearest husband, I'm so sorry for lying to you about Alex! You were the best father that I've ever seen, the best father he could ever have, and I'm sure he agrees. I have no excuse for what I did, but I'm not regretful. You were his father all this time, and you still are. I entrust you two will be good to each other and you will not leave each other stranded. Alex, don't get angry with your father, this is not his fault. It is entirely and completely mine._

_I was totally helpless when Bryce left me alone with my child, and there was you Harry. I couldn't lose you, and so I lied to you. But after we were married, your mother realized Alex was not your child. You have to understand Harry, she was determined to tell you the truth. I had to do something, I couldn't risk me and my family's happiness or our future. I was frightened but I had to be brave and I had to be strong. I had to be strong when I made the decision to end someone's life. That was the darkest moment of my life. I look back and I hate myself for doing just because of the spite I had for your mother, because of the fear but it didn't seem like I had any other choice. So I ordered her murder. How could I have known that it would affect my life like this? How did I know it would cause me to almost kill my own son?_

_That day, it was one or two years ago, I was on the phone to Ron Mitchel - the guy who had cut the brake line of Maude's car. He asked for more money, and he threatened to go to the police if I didn't give into his demands. I had to accept the fact that I was going to have to give him money. And she heard me, Tess McLeod. I've never been so mad in my life. she was driving me insane! I had to get rid of her. I had to do something... Anything! I told so many lies about her to you, Nick. I tried to slander her, and I tried to send her away. But I couldn't stop you two loving each other. And I thought, I thought if I wanted to get her out of our lives, forever, I had to make another difficult, spiteful and hateful decision. But this time, I didn't feel sorry. I felt guilty. Yes! Guilty. But I only felt guilty because… I didn't feel guilty._

_I called Ron and asked him to do it one more time. This time to Tess's car. How could I know that Alex would take her car that day?_

_It was a chance for you to be alive right now, Alex. I am thankful for that. I know you hate me now, and you have a right to. But Alex, just know that I love you so much. I am so sorry, baby, for everything that I've done to you... I'm sorry._

_That's the story. Now you all know! Take a look at this mess that I got myself into. You all hate me, and so do I, really. I hate myself, hate the things that I've done, the decisions I've made. But I can't change what happened, and I can't change what I've done. That's the way life is. I don't expect you to embrace me, if ever I return. And knowing this, I will never come back because I know that I'm not wanted anymore. So I'm leaving. Honestly, I considered killing myself, but I don't deserve to die, or I am afraid to die... And I know that, ironically, it would kill you all. It would make you feel so guilty and you don't deserve that when it is who is and always has been in the wrong. Also, it did seem a tad drastic. But at the time, I felt it was what I deserved._

_If anyone ever tries to tell you I don't love you, don't believe them! I love you all more than anything. I can honestly stand anything, except to have you hate me. Please try to understand. I did all of those things because I wanted to be happy and I wanted you to be happy. I swear to God, that's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!_

_I'm crying and I am begging you all, please don't hate me. And if one day it's possible, please forgive me. Can you find it in your heart to do so? Just let me fix my life and I can be a better person.. And at last, don't try to find me... But if you ever do decide to forgive me, whisper it in the wind and wherever I am, I will hear it and I will smile. And if you ever want me to return, whisper it to the wind. I will come home. I am sorry. I am. _

_With all my love,_

_Elizabeth M. Ryan_

He took his head between his hands and after a moment stared up at his father with teary eyes. The paper fell from his hand and landed in a heap on the floor. None of them could say anything.

After Harry left, Tess and Nick sat on the lounge. She sat, her head on his shoulder, stroking his back. She noted sadly that he was shaking. Tess lifted her head as he spoke.

"Should we tell Alex?" he finally asked between his sobs.

"Sooner or later we'll have to tell him," she answered, resting her head on his shoulder again. "But I know he'll have a rough time and then he'll get over it, easily."

"Yeah," he continued. "But we should wait him to be discharged from the hospital and get his bearings back before we do."

"Good idea," Tess smiled, gave him a supportive squeeze. He stopped and looked up at her, his eyes looking like two shining stars.

"Tess," he started, in a voice that piqued her curiosity.

"Yeah?" she replied, softly.

He turned to her completely and took her hands in his. She turned to him and let out an excited breath. He smiled at her again and still bewildered she smiled back. He opened his mouth to talk.

"Will you marry me?"

"Nick!" she exclaimed, as happy tears rolled down her cheeks. "Yes, I will marry you! Yes!"

She leaned in and gave him a passionate kiss before wrapping her arms around his neck. They stayed like that until the air darkened, knowing that together, everything would be alright and that they would be happy forever…

* * *

_"Finders keepers, losers weepers!" Alex yelled before starting to run away with Nick._

_"Wait for me!" Claire called from behind them._

_"Come on Claire, what's wrong with you! We've started the game, come on!" Alex complained._

_"I can't play with you today, mate" she answered. "I'm not allowed."_

_"Why not?" Nick asked, stepping towards her as he realized she'd been crying. "What's wrong?"_

_"I am suppose to be saying goodbye to Tess now, but I wanted to tell you that she is leaving. I thought maybe you'd want to see her for the last time," she cried._

_"What do you mean?" 9-year-old Alex asked worried._

_"I said she is leaving Alex. Which part didn't you understand?" she shouted between the sobs._

_"But why?" Nick asked._

_"I don't know. Dad and Ruth had a fight and... and..." she burst in tears again._

_"Okay Claire, don't cry! Crying doesn't suit you," Alex tried to cheer her up, placed his arm on her shoulder._

_"Where's Nick?" she asked, realizing that Nick was not with them anymore. They looked through the paddock and saw him running towards the house. He was out of the breath when he arrived the homestead._

_"Tess!" he called. "Tess!!"_

_"Nick? What are you doing here?" the little girl asked, stepping out of the house._

_"Tess, are you leaving?" he asked, not wanting to hear the answer._

_"Yes, Nick, I am. I have to go with my mum," she replied, wiping her tears._

_"But..." he tried to breath, "But I don't want to lose you Tess! You are my best friend!"_

_"You are my best friend too, Nick. But I have to go. I have no choice," she said. "I want to stay but mum won't let me!"_

_"We can get married, then she cant take you away," he offered._

_"Nick, we're kids. We can't get married," she explained with sorrow._

_"Then we can wait till we grow up and get married," he said. He wasn't giving up._

_"Yes, that's a better idea. I'll come back when I grow up Nick, I promise. I wont forget you," she smiled._

_"I will miss you," he answered, holding her hand. "I'd better go now. But Tess, you promised, don't forget that!"_

_"I wont forget Nick, I wont forget my promise and you. And… I will come back," she cried._

_They held each other tight and said their last goodbyes. Tess watched him going and turned back to the house and walked into finish packing her bags..._

THE END

* * *

**_Dear Debz-Hidden-Obsession, eScapefreak, Belle, genevra and DENIZdeDENIZ, and any other people who's read this story, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I feel sospecial... I loved reading all those comments.._**

**_and really really special thanks to you Gen, you are the best!! Thank you for everything!!  
_****_I'm glad we could finish this... :o)_**

**_Lots of love,  
L.E.T._**


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